Core Lead
Maria P. Aranda, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and executive director of the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging. Her research focuses on psychosocial care for adults and older adults with psychiatric disorders, including depression and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Aranda’s work explores disparities in health services and develops interventions to ease the burdens faced by people with medical and psychiatric conditions and their caregivers. She has led studies funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Alzheimer’s Association, and the National Institute of Mental Health.
Dr. Aranda co-founded El Portal, a family support program for low-income, Spanish-speaking families managing neurodegenerative disorders, which has become a national model. She has served on numerous boards and committees focused on practice, policy, and research for underrepresented populations, including National Academy of Medicine consensus committees on family caregiving, functional assessment, and mental health service delivery.
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